A consultative community engagement and sensitization meeting held on 10th November 2025 at the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC) Boardroom achieved a landmark consensus between local communities and government agencies on the Nairobi Rivers Regeneration Program (NRRP).
The meeting brought together the Minority Leader of the Nairobi City County Assembly, MCA’s from Dagoretti, Kikuyu, Kiambu, Kangemi, and Riruta Wards, and local landowners.
The forum was coordinated by Hon. Antony Karanja, MCA for Waithaka and Minority Leader, Nairobi City County Government.
The meeting underscored a shared commitment to advancing the NRRP while ensuring that the rights and interests of landowners and local communities are fully respected.
Participants agreed on the need for continued public engagement and collaborative planning to address concerns around riparian areas, development regulations, and Special Planning Area (SPA) guidelines.
The Nairobi Rivers Regeneration Program is critical for addressing the significant environmental and urban development challenges facing the Nairobi Metropolitan Area.
Rapid expansion of informal settlements along riparian zones, coupled with acute housing shortages, has contributed to substandard living conditions for many residents.
The city’s sewerage system, built in 1965 for a population of 350,000, is now grossly inadequate for Nairobi’s 5.3 million residents in 2023 – a number projected to reach 20 million by 2053 – resulting in insufficient drainage and waste management infrastructure.
These pressures have heightened public health risks, with polluted waterways and uncontrolled discharge of industrial and household effluents endangering communities.
Encroachment of riparian reserves and irregular construction has led to illegal raw sewage discharge, while inadequate solid waste management – particularly at the Dandora Dumpsite – further exacerbates environmental hazards.
The city is also experiencing declines in biodiversity and degradation of natural habitats, such as the Ondiri Wetland, the source of the Nairobi River, alongside increasing flood risks amplified by climate change.
The NRRP aims to tackle these complex challenges through comprehensive river rehabilitation, sustainable urban planning, and community-inclusive interventions.
Arch. Musuvo Mumo, Deputy Commissioner of the Nairobi Rivers Commission, emphasized the collaborative approach, stating:
“We will work with Water Resources Authority, NEMA, and other agencies together with landowners to determine the true high-water mark and the correct riparian. That is the proper process.”
He further clarified landowner rights:
“The fact that the riparian sits within your land does not mean it is not your land. It simply means there are limits to what you can do within that area.”
Arch. Mumo added that the planning process will guide development policies, noting:
“Planning is a process, and the policies that come out of it will guide what can or cannot be built close to the river.”
Hon. Antony Karanja, MCA for Waithaka Ward and Minority Leader, Nairobi County Assembly reinforced the importance of sustained community engagement, highlighting the consensus reached during the meeting:
“The original idea when we came here was to demystify some of the things you have heard – and that is exactly what has happened. From here, we will move to shorter spans where you live.
Together with the Nairobi Rivers Team, we will organize even smaller citizen engagement meetings.”
He further emphasized the role of political leadership in ensuring representation:
“As political leaders, our role is to create a link between our electorate and development programs to ensure they are represented.”
Bishop Wanjiru, Chairperson of the Nairobi Rivers Commission, welcomed the collaborative spirit of the forum, stating:
“We have had positive and insightful engagements with the communities from Kangemi and Dagoretti.
We have agreed to re-examine the laws governing NRRP’s work that were of distress to them with the intention of reviewing them with public participation, such as the SPA.”
The forum concluded with a clear message of unity and shared responsibility.
Communities expressed strong support for the NRRP, committing to active participation while ensuring that development interventions are implemented fairly and sustainably.
Both government agencies and local stakeholders emphasized that the program’s success depends on balancing infrastructure development, environmental conservation and community rights – working together to create a more livable Nairobi for all.
“The Nairobi Rivers regeneration is a climate action project at its core – an ecosystem restoration effort that brings together government, communities, and young people to reclaim our river systems,”
She said.
“This time, we are doing it differently. We are deliberately engaging the communities and youth, ensuring they are co-owners and beneficiaries of the transformation,”
Said Hon. Bishop Wanjiru while opening the forum.
During the engagement, community leaders also called for the inclusion of more youth in the rivers regeneration program via Climate WorX.
